A rchive Date
[ 29-05-2002 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Israel ]
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[http://canoe.ca/CNEWSTopNews/sharon_may12-ap.html
Sharon sets terms for peace
By STEVE WEIZMAN- Associated Press
Sunday, May 12, 2002
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday peace could not be achieved in the Middle East without an end to terror and the implementation of massive reforms in Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority.
Also Sunday, some Israeli reservists pulled back from the Gaza Strip after the government said it had postponed an expected offensive in the Palestinian territory. In Bethlehem, nearly 1,000 people attended the first Sunday services in the Church of the Nativity since the end of a five-week standoff there.
In a 20-minute speech to the central committee of his conservative Likud party, Sharon said that if those two conditions were met "peace is possible," and proposed a phased approach to peacemaking.
Sharon asked the members of his party not to vote Sunday on whether there should be a Palestinian state in a final peace agreement, a subject that threatens to sharply divide Likud.
"Any decision taken today on the final agreement is dangerous to the state of Israel and will only intensify the pressures on us," he said.
The crowd erupted in boos and jeers and some people began chanting their support for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was proposing a resolution opposing the creation of a Palestinian state.
The crowd remained raucous and angry for several minutes and Netanyahu, who had been mercilessly heckled during his own speech just moments before, rose to ask the crowd to respect Sharon.
Earlier in his speech, the crowd was far more supportive of Sharon as he outlined some of the successes of Israel's recent incursion into Palestinian-controlled territories in the West Bank and insisted Israel would not tolerate terrorism.
"There can be no peace with terror, with a man of terror," he said. "To make real peace for generations, we must beat the terror. There is no other way."
"Peace is possible, but there must be two basic conditions," Sharon said. "First, a complete halt to the terror, the violence and incitement. Two, the Palestinian Authority must carry out internal reforms in every way - on security, the economy, the legal system and within society."
"Only afterward, when we see how the Palestinians are building their society and self-government, after we are convinced that their faces are turned toward peace, then we can move toward discussions on the exact nature of our relations," he said. "Only then can we sign on a final peace agreement."
Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo dismissed Sharon's conditions.
"This is his new formula for not making any serious steps toward a political solution to the conflict," he said.
Meanwhile, Arafat prepared to visit Jenin, Bethlehem and Nablus on Monday - his first trip outside of Ramallah since December, when Israel forbade his freedom of movement.
Israel said it had allowed Arafat to make the trip in a Jordanian helicopter.
All three cities were flashpoints of deadly violence between Israeli troops and Palestinians gunmen during the last weeks as Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield, to root out suspected terrorists from the West Bank.
But as of Saturday, all Israeli troops were out of Palestinian-run areas and some reservists called up for a retaliatory strike against militants in Gaza, were sent home Sunday.
When asked about the postponement of the incursion into Gaza, Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Israel was "willing to give a chance (to peace negotiations) and wait."
"We are ready to give any chance to the peace process," Ben-Eliezer told CNN's Late Edition. But he emphasized that Israel would not hesitate to respond in the wake of renewed attacks or violence.
"What we are going to do ... what will be the size of the operation, this will depend on the other side," he said.
Israeli media said the assault was put off because of U.S. pressure. The pause in military action appeared to provide an opening for diplomacy, and the U.S. administration announced earlier that it would send CIA chief George Tenet to the region, but no date was set.
Tenet negotiated terms of a ceasefire last May, but the truce was never implemented.
In Bethlehem, worshippers returned to the Church of the Nativity for the first services since the end of a five-week siege of the church. The smell of incense filled the air as different Christian denominations held Sunday prayer services.
"We are happy to be here, to attend the services after a long absence," said Alberta Katan, 65, as she lit candles near the grotto believed to mark the birthplace of Jesus. "When I entered, I felt the joy in the eyes of the people praying again in the basilica."
At the Vatican, Pope John Paul described his great relief over the end of the siege and the resumption of religious services and urged mutual trust between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Bethlehem's universal message is love, justice, reconciliation and peace," the pontiff said. "And it is on these bases that one can construct a future respectful of the rights of the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples, in mutual trust."
During his speech, Sharon reiterated his support for a regional peace conference, something Netanyahu strongly opposed.
"The nation of Israel wants peace," he said.
Earlier, Netanyahu, who has said he plans to challenge Sharon's leadership of the party, criticized the government's policies, advocated Arafat's deportation and urged Likud to reject the possibility of a Palestinian state.
"Just say no to a Palestinian state," Netanyahu hollered to the crowd.
His speech was interrupted five times by hecklers and dozens of people in the audience got into loud arguments with each other.
Israeli newspapers had encouraged Likud to pass over Netanyahu's ideas.
"Does anyone still believe a Palestinian state can be stopped?" asked the Maariv daily in an editorial that said the supposedly ideological debate was actually a power struggle between Sharon and Netanyahu.
Columnist Uzi Benziman wrote in Haaretz that "anyone who opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state ... proposes just two solutions to the Palestinian problem: transfer (of Palestinians to another country) or apartheid."
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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